To Bottle Perfection
by Lil-Sun-Rie
Summary: She hides behind a mask everyday. She strives for perfection and convinces herself that is all she needs. What happens when she meets someone who tells her differently? SanMir InuKag [chp 1 edited]
1. Chapter One

Author's Note: I'm back! I was so bored that I decided to continue this fic anyways, but I wanted to change the beginning. I noticed (because of a review) that I didn't describe anything except Sango's perfection and possibly Inu-Yasha's necklace, so that means I didn't do a good job of portraying my ideas. I hope you guys don't get frustrated because reading the horribleness of my fic just made me so angry. 

Summary: She hides behind a mask everyday. She strives for perfection and convinces herself that is all she needs, but what happens when she meets someone who tells her differently? MirSan InuKag

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot (which is based on Kare Kano/ His and Her Circumstances). 

**_To Bottle Perfection_**__

_Chapter One_

If I could be anything in the worlds, I would be your tears so I would be born in your eyes, live on your cheeks, and die on your lips. 

**_Perfection is my life's goal. I couldn't mak_****_e myself _****_believe that it wasn't important. I lived on praise as I live on oxygen and food. I couldn't make myself believe that I was a normal person. I wanted to be different, I wanted to be perfect. I couldn't say that I didn't need it because I did. I needed the praise, the honors, the certificates, and trophies. I wanted to be perfect; I had to be perfect. I hid myself behind the mask that everyone sees. I hid behind the perfect wall that I put up around myself. I was self-absorbed, I know, but it didn't matter just as long as no one else knew. I hid my flaws, I hid my selfishness so no one knew the real me. How could they when I hid myself so cleverly? I was like a goddess with no flaws. I felt that as long as I hid, I would be the envy of every person. I would be their goal. I was the embodiment of everything they wanted to be. _**

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**__**

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_A young girl ran towards the doors of high school. She was starting her first year of high school and she couldn't wait to see how it would be. Before she was able to reach the door, another young girl with long black hair crashed into the other. They both fell to the ground in a mass of tangled limbs. Sango looked at the girl she had just crashed into as she tried to disentangle herself. _

_The young girl tried as well, but that ended up in having them fall down once again. Sango smiled when she was finally able to get up. She looked down to see if the girl was alright and was met with bright blue eyes. Sango held out her hand, which the bright eyed girl accepted graciously. The girl got up and before Sango was able to walk into the school building, the girl spoke. _

_"I'm Kagome!" _

_"What…?" _

_"My name, it's Kagome." _

_Sango forced a smile onto her face, trying to hide her impatience to get into the school. "Oh, hi Kagome…" _

_There was a long silent pause and Sango noticed that Kagome was looking at her expectantly. Kagome crossed her arms over the red ribbon of her uniform._

_"Well, aren't you going to tell me your name?" Sango was surprised by the young girl's boldness, but decided to answer her question. _

_Sango nodded slowly, "My name is Taijiya Sango." _

_"Oh… Sango…" Kagome smiled up at her, "I like your name, Sango…" _

**__**

"Sango…" 

Kagome waved her hand in front of Sango's face which happened to be blank, signaling that she was lost in her own thoughts. Kagome flipped her long black hair out of her face as she unsuccessfully tried to gain Sango's attention. 

"Sango… Sango…" 

Sango suddenly snapped her head towards Kagome and in surprise, Kagome fell to the ground. 

"Well, at least your back!" 

"What?" 

"Sango, you were daydreaming… that's not like you, but I guess it happens to everyone." 

Sango smiled apologetically, but inside she was fuming at her carelessness. No one understood her, not even Kagome no matter how close they seemed. Sango knew that she could never really be close to anyone because then they would discover her secret. 

"Oh yeah, why were you called to the principle's office this morning?" 

Sango looked up into Kagome's bright eyes and smiled, "A new student is coming tomorrow."   

"That's wonderful! You probably have to show him around, right?" 

"Yes." 

Kagome smiled as she put a finger against her chin, "Well, then I'll get to meet him, right? I bet he'll be really cool! Sango, isn't it cool that you get to meet him first?"

"Yes, it's really great…" Sango hid it well that she was very annoyed by the thought of the new student. Once again her mind drifted as she thought about her meeting with the principle and before she could stop herself, she replayed the scene in her head. 

"_His name is Houshi Miroku." _

_Sango smiled and nodded her head slightly. The principle, a chubby old man who seemed to be in his forties, sat down at his desk and rested his elbows against the surface of it. _

_"Houshi-san isn't here _today_, but he will be tomorrow. I'm asking you this today because I believe that you should have time to think this over." _

_"Think about?"_

_The principle smiled as he leaned forwards, "That's what I like about you Taijiya-san, your always straight to the point. Well, seeing as there's no use to 'beat around the bush,' I'm asking you to accompany Houshi-san around the school for at least a week. You'll be transferred into all his classes, but it will only be for this week, and you'll have to show him around." _

_"What's there to think about? It's not really that difficult to show someone around." _

_The principle's smile grew larger, "This addition to your schedule doesn't seem to phase you one bit. What I'm worried about is you honor's classes, class presidency, and kendo club. Are you sure that this won't disrupt your performance in any of these?"_

_"Don't worry Hanajime-san, I'll be able to handle it." _

_"I don't understand how you do it, but I'm not complaining. I have to confess, Taijiya-san, that since you arrived at this school you have made my job, as well as other teachers', a little easier. In addition to that, you are able to organize school activities and events with ease that you don't need our help. _You_ are a very unique student and I really don't want this task to affect you in any way." _

_"Hanajime-san you exaggerate, but this won't affect me in any way and I assure you that by the end of the week, you won't be able to tell that he was a transfer." _

_Sango smirked inwardly. She loved his praises, as well as the praises of everyone else. Their praises meant a lot to her and that drove her into the mask of perfection that she had made. She didn't want to be an outcast, unnoticed and distant. She wanted to be the one at center-stage, she wanted to standout from the norm. _

_"Well, where is he now?" _

_"He should be departing his home in Tokyo." _

_"Why is he transferring here, if you don't mind me asking?" _

_"The schools in Tokyo don't have much challenge now that technology reached its peak. Many students aren't as diligent as they are here. Even though this is a public school, our students rank one of the highest in curriculum. The parents also informed me that they have seen the SAT scores from our students and were impressed." _

_"So Houshi-san is, supposedly, intelligent?"_

_"Yes, as a matter of fact he matched your scores on the entrance exams." _

_Sango looked down in mock modesty, "He did?"_

_Although she portrayed the modest girl perfectly, she inwardly trembled in anger. She had some competition now and she felt the growing urge to scream and shout. She studied so hard for that She wanted to make sure that her scores would be insuperable, but 'Houshi-san' was able to match it. _

_Hanajime nodded his head as he looked down at the black-haired girl before him. _

_"That's nice," she replied, trying her hardest not to explode. _

"Sango…?" 

"Yes, Kagome-chan?" 

"Is something wrong? You've been spacing out a lot today…" Kagome looked up at the taller girl. 

"No… Nothing's wrong, I'm just a little tired." Sango cast Kagome her fake smile, which Kagome took as a sign of reassurance, but that did not stop Kagome from worrying. Sango wanted to laugh at Kagome at some times; she was just too sweet to be real. Sango never understood how someone's moods could change so suddenly and rapidly. 

Sensing Kagome's uneasiness, Sango decided to take Kagome's talkative personality as an advantage, "How well do you think you did on the algebra test?" 

Kagome's cheeks turned pink as she looked down at the wooden desk, "Bad, _really_ bad… how about you?" 

"I thought the test was _really_ hard, I don't think I did so well." 

Kagome laughed at her last sentence, just as Sango predicted. "Are you _kidding_ me?! You have the top grades! If you thought the test was hard, then no one in the school would be able to ace it!" 

Sango put on her mask for modesty and bowed her head so that her hair covered her face, "There could be someone who aced it…" 

Kagome looked down at Sango and, being the emotional person she was, she pulled Sango into a tight hug. Sometimes Sango was just too cute! Just like a kitten. Sango grinned from ear to ear, her plan turned out to be a complete success. 

Kagome wasn't worried about her anymore; she was worried about the test. 

"Sango, can you help me on the next test? I can't believe that she's giving us another one so soon, but that doesn't matter. I just need to really, _really _pass this one!" 

"Don't worry about it Kagome-chan, I'll help you… You shouldn't worry too much about your tests or you'll forget everything you were studying." 

"I'm sure you have no problem with anxiety, I mean your grades are outstanding! You're the top student in all your classes and you take _honors_! You're competing against students who are three years older than you and yet you're at the top! How do you do it Sango?" Kagome took a moment to catch her breath, "You're so perfect…" 

Perfect… the word echoed in Sango's mind. She was prefect… she was so perfect, but then if she was so perfect, why did she feel so guilty? Why did she feel that there was something beyond the perfection that she had made for herself? Was she really happy with the lie that she's been living? 

Sango looked down at Kagome, _She wouldn't understand. No one would be ale to understand me; not Kagome, not the teachers, nor anyone else in the school. It's hard to believe that they actually believed the horrible lies that I fed them. It's hard to believe that they thought someone like me was so perfect. This just goes to show the fatal flaw of all humans, trust. Do they actually trust me so me that they wouldn't doubt my perfection? I lived on the word perfection, just as I live on food and oxygen. I couldn't go on without it. _

Sango was never one to get so close to another person. Although to many it seemed that Sango and Kagome had the perfect friendship, telling each other their deepest darkest secrets, gossiping, and such, they didn't know that Kagome's offer of friendship was the only truth in their relationship. Sango did love having Kagome around, but every time she was Sango felt tainted. She knew that she should tell Kagome about her deceit, but the hard work it took to build that deceit stopped her each time she opened her mouth. 

She worked too hard and too long for her mask to be destroyed. It took too much energy for her to actually wake up in the morning and remember to live her lie. 

She built a wall around her heart and now she was comfortable with it there. She didn't want it to ever go away, but the urge to see something beyond familiar horizons grew within her. 

She was beautiful, many people told her that. Sango never saw what other people saw. Whenever she looked in the mirror, she saw a horrible creature, a disgusting and grotesque liar. She lied to everyone around her and they took it. They believed it. She had spread her perfection too far for her to deny it. She couldn't show her real self because they would know that she had been lying to everyone the whole time. 

Sango could hear Kagome's voice chatting in the background, but Sango didn't have a chance to absorb anything she was saying. 

She always hated it when she didn't know what was happening so she just nodded at what she thought were the appropriate places. Without knowing it, Sango agreed to go to the carnival with Kagome that weekend. 

"Really?!" 

"Of course." Sango smiled patiently, but grimaced because she didn't know what she was agreeing with. 

They continued walking with Kagome chatting the whole way. Sango tried to insert comments, but gave up when she had no idea what to say so she just nodded and laughed occasionally. Kagome was a wonderful person to be with when you didn't want to think about something, but today it didn't seem to be working because Sango kept on thinking about how this 'Houshi-san' would be. 

Sango looked down at her watch… _Kendo practice!_

"Kagome, I'm really sorry, but can we continue this conversation later? I have to get to kendo practice and if I remember correctly, you have to get to archery club." 

"Oh Kami-sama, you're right! I almost forgot! Thank you for reminding me!" 

When Kagome was gone, Sango changed her destination to gym where kendo practice was being held. Even during kendo, she couldn't get the thought of a possible challenge out of her head. Sango didn't understand why she felt a sudden aggression towards Houshi-san. She hasn't even met him yet and she already hated him. Sango let out her frustration in kendo practice, but yet she couldn't shake the thought out her head. She and the captain of the team were dueling each other as the others sat by and watched. 

The captain was none other than Sesshoumaru. Sango knew that she couldn't beat him, but she could always get close. Sango let her anger swerve her body towards her opponent; she let it control her movement as she attacked the captain. 

A hit, point goes to Sango. 

Sheshumaru dodged Sango's next attack by turning to the left, which caused Sango to fall forwards. When she turned around, Sesshoumaru got an attack in. 

Second hit, point goes to Sesshoumaru. 

The duel wore on and Sesshoumaru won by a point. Both duelists left the ring sweaty and breathless. Sango took a moment to observe her captain. He was beautiful… like a fox. She didn't really think of him in a romantic way, but that didn't mean that she didn't noticed his fox-like features. He was fair in complexion and had long white hair, just like his brother Inu-Yasha who was currently fighting another club member. Both brothers seemed to hate each other, but she knew that they really respected each other. 

Sango looked up at the two duelists in the ring. Inu-Yasha seemed to be toying with the underclassmen, her classmate. Although it was hard to believe, Sango was only in her first year of high school and Inu-Yasha was in his third year and Sesshoumaru was in his last year. This would make Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru her sempai's.

Now that the adrenaline was receding in her body, her mind started thinking about Houshi-san once more. She hasn't even met the guy and already she couldn't get him out of her mind. 

_Tomorrow we'll meet Houshi Miroku, let's see who is better… this will be a school year you'll never forget._

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Okay, I was bored and found time to actually rewrite this chapter and the next one will be up soon. I'm sorry for changing things around, but I couldn't help it. I was so frustrated when I was trying to think of something to write that I reread my chapters and found them HORRIBLE, so now I want to rewrite it all. I hope you guys don't mind… Don't worry, it'll probably have the same plot and everything. **

**I just wanted to say that it was really cool that someone based their fic on mines! It's so cool that people actually read it. I'm happy and bored because I'm in class writing this. **

**If you guys want to read a fic with a similar plot, read Blade of Fire's story called picture perfect! **


	2. Chapter Two

Author's Note: Okay, again I say I hope you guys don't mind the rewrite because I'm just really annoyed by the OOCness in the other one, so I decided to write them more in character. Again I apologize if any do drift away.

Summary: She hides behind a mask everyday. She strives for perfection and convinces herself that is all she needs, but what happens when she meets someone who tells her differently? MirSan InuKag

Disclaimer: Grr… you know the drill, I don't own anything but the plot!

Chapter Recount:

Now that the adrenaline was receding in her body, her mind started thinking about Houshi-san once more. She hasn't even met the guy and already she couldn't get him out of her mind.

_Tomorrow we'll meet Houshi Miroku, let's see who is better… this will be a school year you'll never forget._

**_To Bottle Perfection_**__

_Chapter Two_

_Without rest a man cannot work, without work the rest gives no benefit. _

Taijiya Sango woke up the next morning and wandered around her _empty_ apartment. Stretching her arms over her head, she could hear some of her bones crack slightly. ** __**

****

**_This _****is_ my imperfection… I'm alone in the world and yet no one can see. No one can understand the loneliness that I feel and no one will ever be able to see it. I won't let anyone in… I won't let anyone understand… I won't let anyone see me… _**

Sango got out of the shower with her wet hair hanging down her back. It was a regular day and, like everyday, she had to put on her 'mask' and be everything everyone wanted to be.

Sango looked around her room and a picture of a small boy caught her eye. Sango clutched the towel against her chest and slowly walked to the picture.

_It's been three years… and I'm surprised that no one discovered my secret yet. I miss you Kohaku… _

Sango's parents, along with little Kohaku had died in a car accident three years ago. She was only allowed to live in her own apartment because she was old enough to take of herself, but she could easily be put into an orphanage if she wasn't able to pay the rent. Sango also had to pay for her school tuition and any other expenses concerning her health. Life was tough for Sango and that was another added reason she had to be perfect.

She didn't want anyone to know that there was something different or strange about her; she didn't need anyone's pity. Sango slowly inched her way into her bed room and changed into her school uniform. Standing in front of the mirror, Sango stared at her reflection as if it were the most important thing in the world.

_Flaws… sins… maybe this is why I lost my family… I wasn't perfect. _

Sango sighed and ignored the growing feeling of guilt within her, thinking that guilt was another flaw that she had. Sango grabbed her bag off of the table; looking through it to make sure she had completed all her homework, and walked out of her apartment. Sango was just exiting her apartment when all of a sudden she was pushed and fell to the floor.

Maintaining her composure, she looked up and saw that a boy around her age was the culprit. The boy looked down at her with his sparkling blue eyes and smiled.

"I'm terribly sorry for causing one as beautiful as you any harm."

The only thought that went through Sango's mind was, _Corny…_ _in a… cute way I guess…_

There was no denying it. The young man was definitely cute, actually he was very handsome. His black hair, his blue eyes, his pale complexion… it was as if he were…

Sango's thoughts were cut short when she felt a hand resting lightly on her – dare I say it – ass. Sango face turned red and she looked into the 'lecher's' face, knowing that she couldn't subject to her anger… no matter how intense it was…

The 'lecher' in question did not seem to realize his little 'slip' of hands and therefore didn't detach his hand from her rear end. Sango's patience was at the border line and slowly tiptoeing onto the brink of explosion… 3… 2…

_Damn it!_

Sango felt his hand squeeze her posterior… 1! Without further ado, I present to you an unconscious lecher.

Sango looked down at the stranger and was suddenly overcome with dread, what if she killed him? No, she couldn't be _that_ strong, but he did deserve that slap. Sango didn't know whether to leave him there or to help him… Sango picked the latter one and bent down so that she could easily look at his face. Gently swatting his hair away from his eyes, she slowly fanned him… obviously unsure of what exactly she was supposed to do. Sango began to gently swat his cheek and couldn't help but notice how soft and smooth his skin was.

Taking a deep breath in order to prevent her face from turning red, she pinched his nose and covered his mouth. This brought about her desired results.

The lecher's eyes swung open from the lack of oxygen and he pulled her hand away from his mouth.

"Damn!"

Sango stood up quickly to make sure that his hand was a good distance away from any part of her body. Before Sango could help it she shouted at him.

"That's what you get for being such a HENTAI!"

"I can't help it if I was overcome with emotion after laying my eyes on such a delicate creature." He got up and bowed. Sango stiffened because she was uncomfortable with having a man – an undeniably handsome man – bowing before her. Before Sango could react, he grabbed her hand and clasped both of them in his big ones.

"Will you consider bearing my child?"

"What?! You treacherous LECHER!" Sango snatched her hand away from his grasp and ran towards the stairs. _Damn elevators! I give up; I'll just use the stairs from now own! _

Sango yanked the stair door open and hurriedly climbed down them without looking back.

Miroku couldn't help himself, he smiled. The girl he had just bumped into was just too cute! Miroku shook his head and stared down at the floor. A small, plain, black notebook caught his eyes and he bent down to retrieve it. It would seem that the young woman's notebook escaped her back when they had collided. Opening it to the first page, Miroku noticed the name: _Taijiya Sango_. Miroku looked beneath the name and saw a school emblem.

_So she goes to the same school I'm about to attend… This could get interesting. _

Miroku tucked the miniature notebook into his pockets and proceeded to await the arrival of the elevator. Unlike our dear Sango-chan, Miroku definitely had the patients (and laziness) to wait for the _extremely_ slow elevator. He leisurely left the apartment complex and headed towards school.

When he arrived, Miroku knew that he was supposed to meet the principal in his office. Miroku got the directions to the principal's office from one of the young girls he happened to pass.

Sighing happily, he wandered down the halls making the appropriate turns.

Sango had arrived at the principal's office right on time, as usual.

_Houshi Miroku seems to be late; I guess he isn't as perfect as I thought he was…_

Sango was about to open her mouth to say something to the principal when the door suddenly bursts open.

"Um… It's me! Houshi Miroku…" Sango's eyes widened… she recognized that voice… Praying to all the gods she could think of, she closed her eyes and turned around… To bad praying doesn't seem to work now-a-days.

"Finally, we've been waiting a while," the principal motioned for Miroku to further enter the room. Miroku's smiled widened when he saw the familiar head of the _shy_ Taijiya Sango.

Sango's face flushed as she looked at the young man before her… it was the lecher from this morning… _Kami-sama…_

Miroku grinned, "I believe Taijiya-san and I have already met, isn't it wonderful that we live right across from each other?"

The principal smiled, "That's wonderful! She can help you if you have any questions… well I'll leave you two so I can finish the enrollment papers. While I'm gone, why don't you two learn more about each other?"

"W-w-wh-at?! B-but, you can't leave me here _alone_ with him!"

"Taijiya-san, nothing's going to happen. I'll just be gone for a few minutes…" The principal gave Sango a look and left. Sango slumped against the chair.

_Oh no, life as I know it is over… how will I keep my reputation if he keeps hitting on me? Kami-sama, what have I done to offend you?!_

Sango's face grew redder by the minute and Miroku just watched with amusement.

"So… you're Houshi-san…"

"Yes, my lovely flower, I am."

"Will you stop it?"

"Stop what, my fair maiden."

"That's so corny."

"If that's what you want to call it, but I myself was thinking something along the lines of charming and romantic."

"This is definitely not romantic."

"I can make it…"  Miroku seemed to let the statement hang in the air. A silent pause followed and Sango shifted in her chair, she didn't really feel comfortable with Miroku looking down at her as he was.

"Why don't you sit down?"

"I prefer standing."

"Aren't you tired?"

"Not a bit."

"So…"

Sango couldn't think of anything else to say. They have just met… twice in one morning… and yet they couldn't seem to make a conversation.

"So…?" Miroku looked down at her questioningly. His sparkling blue eyes bore into her hazel brown ones..._ they're so… _

"Bright…"

"What's bright?"

"Kami-sama, did I say that out loud?"

"Obviously."

"I'm sorry." Sango bowed her head not knowing what else to do. Suddenly there was a sound of metal scrapping marble and she looked to her side to see that Miroku was now occupying the seat next to her.

Silence filled the room.

_Tick… tock… tick… tock…_

The sound of the clock was grinding on Sango's nerves, when would the principal return?

_Tick… tock… tick… tock…_

_Damn it!_

A few more minutes passed… and before either of the two students knew it, twenty-five minutes passed and all they did was sit in silence.

Sango laid her hands on her lap and let her fingers caress the fabric.

_Tick… tock… tick… tock…_

_Damn silence…_

Sango risked a glance at Miroku and found that he was just staring out the window. Sango felt her face redden when she mentally noted how handsome he looked. Sango wasn't going to deny it, to herself or anyone else, Houshi Miroku was definitely a bishounen.

_I mustn't think of that… focus, focus… everyone thinks your perfect, play the part!_

Sango let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding in. She was about to speak, but for what seemed to be the second time that morning, she was cut short. This time, however, it wasn't because of a new presence in the room; she was cut short because of a hand… the hand was retracing its previous actions that were performed when the two had bumped into each other on the way to the elevator.

A light squeeze and…

"HENTAI!"

**TBC**

**I hope you guys don't mind the short chapter… oh well, I hope you all are enjoying this story! Happy days everyone and please wish me luck for my damned finals…**


	3. Chapter Three

Author's Note: Yay! Chapter Three is up now! Aren't you happy?! In this fic, Kikyo's last name will be Minna, mostly because I don't know what to call her. I'm not sure about the girl who really liked Miroku, as well. I wanted to put her in this fic, but I couldn't remember her name, so I put in Natsuki Koharu instead.

Summary: She hides behind a mask everyday. She strives for perfection and convinces herself that is all she needs, but what happens when she meets someone who tells her differently? MirSan InuKag

Disclaimer: Grr… you know the drill, I don't own anything but the plot!

Chapter Recount:

Sango let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding in. She was about to speak, but for what seemed to be the second time that morning, she was cut short. This time, however, it wasn't because of a new presence in the room; she was cut short because of a hand… the hand was retracing its previous actions that were performed when the two had bumped into each other on the way to the elevator.

A light squeeze and…

"HENTAI!"

**_To Bottle Perfection_**__

_Chapter Three_

Sango exited the principal's office with a brilliant red blush slapped across her face. Her principal had chosen the worst moment possible to enter his office, for when he entered the scene that unfolded before him was… preposterous.

"Taijiya-san…?" A sharp glance at the slightly unsettled student on the floor, "Houshi-san?"

Sango blinked… once… twice… "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, it was ALL an _accident_!" Sango's face flushed immediately at her sudden outburst, but she couldn't help it, the moment just seemed so unbearable that she was pushed to try and explain it.

"You see… we were talking," _Yeah right, _"And sometimes people have to touch the other while talking and Houshi-san happens to be that kind of person, so when he touched my… arm I thought it was sometimes of bug… BECAUSE that kind of thing has happened before and I'm _dreadfully_ afraid of bugs." Sango took a large breath after her longwinded explanation.

The principal nodded in what seemed to be understanding, but inwardly he began to worry about Taijiya-san. It was rare to see her as anything but perfection. It seems that people just have 'off days,' no matter how much they seem to be perfect.

A light moan emitted from the student on the floor as he sat up and rubbed his now burning red cheek. He grinned slightly, "It seems that accidents happen a lot around me. Isn't that right Taijiya-san?" He asked cheekily as he gently probed his cheek.

Sango's blush deepened because she knew exactly what he meant. This had been her second time 'socking' him. There was a tense silence in the room, and then the principal smiled and announced that they could leave.

When they walked out of the door, Sango looked down at her new schedule and saw that honor biology was first. Groaning to herself, she shook her head and pulled her backpack onto a bench. Shuffling through it, she pulled out her heavy biology book with a satisfied sigh. It seemed that Miroku had done the same because when Sango faced him he held his book in one hand with that annoying 'know-it-all' smirk plastered on his face. Sango didn't understand what was wrong with him and why he just didn't act like a 'normal' student in their school, one of those praising/envious students. She enjoyed the sheer simplicity of her life, but also the complications of her lie. Her life and her lies were so contradictory that it was hard to believe that she was still one person. Sango shook her head as she tried to disperse any depressing thought and focused all her attention on studying the cover of her Biology book.

It was a _plain_ book, with nothing more than the title and an animal on the cover. Sighing softly, she traced the plain lettering of the title.

_The font… it's Times New Roman._

Sighing once more, she pulled her gaze from the book to the halls before her. _Left… right… straight till you hit the water fountain… room 106. Sanada-san's classroom. _

"Well, Houshi-san, we're here." Miroku's wrenched his gaze from her… posterior and looked into her eyes. Smiling slightly, he entered the room with Sango trailing in after him. Miroku stood at the back of the classroom, waiting patiently for Sango to pick where she wanted to sit.

Sango looked up at Miroku and saw that he stood in the back of the classroom. Confused at his hesitance, she walked towards him and stood there looking at the 'patient' Houshi-san. Sango looked up at Miroku expectantly, and that was when she noticed how tall he was… almost a head taller than her.

"Well?" Sango looked up at Miroku with a questioning look in her eyes.

"Yeah, well?" Miroku retorted, unsure of why he felt so defensive.

"Well… where are we going to sit?"

"I was waiting for you to pick."

"You pick."

"No, lady's first." Sango felt her temper ready to flare, but she quickly bottled it up.

"I insist, Houshi-san, that you choose where _you_ feel comfortable."

"Fine." Taking a deep breath he sat in the chair right in front of him.

"We're going to sit here? All the way in the _back_?"

"Well," Miroku grinned, "You said I could pick." Sango just sighed and silently took her seat, smiling slightly to keep up her appearance. Miroku glanced at Sango out of the corner of his eye and he didn't understand why, but he had a strange feeling that she was tense… it was like she was stressed.

"Houshi-san?"

Her voice seemed hallow… there was no emotion in it. Come to think of it, there has been no emotion other than politeness and anger since he had met Sango.

"Houshi-san?"

Miroku's head snapped up at the sound of his name. He looked before him and saw a cute girl standing in front of his desk. A sharp intake of breath could be heard coming from the short girl. Her black hair was pulled up into a tight bun and across the top of her head was a green headband. Miroku looked closely into her face and saw flecks of freckles mark the bridge of her nose.

All in all, she was still cute.

"Houshi-san?" Miroku turned his head to the source of the voice; it was Sango. "Houshi-san, this is Natsuki Koharu."

Miroku turned his head back to the girl and smile, "Hello Natsuki-san."

"No, call me Koharu! 'Natsuki-san' makes me sound so old!" She bowed in a small greeting and left to sit in the front.

Sango sighed and opened up her notebook to write the heading of their notes. Miroku shook his head and did the same, then suddenly a cold and emotionless voice called his name. He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw that once again Sango was calling for him. By this time, the class has started and they were currently taking notes on the evolutionary theory.

"Houshi-san, a word of caution if you don't mind."

_I feel like I'm about to hear about a tragic event that'll happen to me in the future… is she a fortune teller?_

"Beware of Natsuki-chan. She's part of a group that everyone deemed the 'in' crowd and like everyone else in the 'in' crowd she has a kind of power."

"Power?" He muttered, pretending to move up in his seat so he could see the board.

"Like in those recent high school movies." Miroku took a moment to think about what she said… _like those high school movies… come to think about it, the popular kids always take advantage of others and what they say is law… does she mean those kind of 'powers?' _

"So…" Miroku took a deep breath and scribbled down the notes on the board, "What are her 'powers?'

The teacher looked up suddenly, almost causing Miroku to jump out of his seat. Miroku buried his head into his notebook for the rest of the class and decided to wait after class was over so he could ask Sango about Koharu. After long hours of note taking, the bell finally rung and the students started piling out of the small classroom.

"Houshi-san."

There it was again. Her voice was so guarded.

"Sango?"

"Natsuki-chan is the girl who deems whether a guy is dating material or not."

"What? She gets to decide whether a girl can date me or not?!"

Miroku watched as Sango guickly greeted a student she was obviously friends with, "Yes, last time it was Inu-Yasha-senpai and every girl wanted to date him. Minna-san dated him as well, but when they broke up his temporary popularity splattered."

"Why should I be careful of that? It doesn't seem like a big deal."

"It was to Inu-Yasha-senpai. During his popularity, he couldn't walk into the lunch room without several girls practically tackling him begging him to let them eat lunch with him."

Sometimes it's surprising how a girl's mind ticks.

"Why is Natsuki-chan able to decide?"

"Well, her father is a famous author and he gets to meet some movie stars when director's plan to do a movie based on his novels. She is rumored to have dated some of those stars and knows exactly which kind of man will treat you like a woman and which will treat you like a…" there was a short pause before she continued, "slut."

"That's it?" Miroku asked incredulously. Sometimes women can be so trivial. He would never understand how they think, nor did he want to.

"Well, kind of… she's also an expert in dating. Used to be such a darling, but popularity changed that."

"And where do you fit in the high school social ladder?"

"Me," Sango paused as she silently thought to herself. "Well, I'm the goody-goody two shoes." She tossed Miroku a mischievous grin and continued to lead him down the twisting path towards their next class.

Their next class was honors geometry. A class Miroku abhorred, also a class that Sango obviously enjoyed. Her enjoyment was obvious through her series of raised hands and right answers. Sometimes, Miroku would find himself and almost half of the class confused, then Sango would complete the equation with no problem, making everyone else feel stupid. The teacher then became frustrated at the class for not understanding and even more some when Sango seemed to be the only one actually trying to understand.

The day passed in a boring blur. School, as to be expected, was never as fun as many would like.

When lunch came around, students practically ran towards the cafeteria in a frenzy that would put wild animals to shame.

"Houshi-san, I have to practice my kendo so I'll see you later?" Her statement seemed more like a question than anything else. It was as if she was waiting for proof that he wouldn't try running away even though it may not be tangible.

"I'd rather just tag along. Who knows what horrors await thee, my lovely Sango?"

Sango resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and turned around the lead the way to the gym. She already forgot Miroku's perverted advances from before since he had not tried anything, but when she turned a hand landed on her ass.

Sango felt the heat rise up into her cheeks, but she forced control over herself. One moment of an angry bliss can lead to years of torment and embarrassment.

"Houshi-san, we are heading to the kendo gym where there are bokkens, which can be very_ painful._"

Miroku grinned at Sango's tight voice as she struggled to keep herself from 'losing her cool.'

"Houshi-san, please stay at least five feet away from me."

"Dear Sango, I am very sorry, but how can I keep my hands to myself with such a lovely sight before me?" Miroku looked up at Sango with –what he hoped were- 'puppy dog' eyes.

Sango plucked Miroku's hand from her posterior and continued to lead the way towards the gym. Miroku trailed silently behind her, thinking.

She was really smart… really, _really_ smart. She seemed to be the only one in the class who actually knew what the teacher was talking about. Another thing is she was extremely silent and somewhat shy.

She was probably the perfect teenage _female_ student.

Many people in this time era still believe that women should be silent and polite _all_ the time, and Sango was the perfect example of every parent's hopes for their daughter. Miroku didn't know why he didn't see it before, but Sango was… perfect…

He had heard people gossiping about her in the hall way and once in a while glance at Sango to see if she heard what they were saying, but she seemed oblivious to the attention she was getting.

"Taijiya-san is going to help the kendo team win the championship."

"I heard that she almost beat Sesshoumaru-senpai."

"Taijiya-san made top score on the test, _again_."

These various comments were what Miroku heard the most from the collected gossiping of both the male and female students.

"Houshi-san, we're here."

Slowly, she opened the glass door to the seemingly empty gym, but when they went inside Sango was hurriedly pushed away from Miroku as a group of teenage girls tackled him.

"Houshi-sama!"

"Look this is the guy Natsuki-san was talking about!"

"He's so handsome!"

"Houshi-sama, will you be my boyfriend?!"

Miroku tried to pull away from the grasps of the 'savage' teenagers, but no amount of pulling, shoving, pushing, and running Miroku was unable to escape the many girls who 'stalked' him.

Miroku looked around wildly for Sango, but she was no where to be found. Sighing slightly to himself, he used his strength to his advantage. He pushed his way through the crowd and ran into the men's bathroom. Knowing the girls wouldn't follow him into the bathroom, he leaned against the wall and tried to control his rapid breathing.

"They're savages aren't they?"

"Yeah… I didn't know something like this could ever happen."

"Well, you have to get used to it. The same happened to me last year." Miroku looked up at the person he was currently conversing to and found a youth a little older than him. The teen was very unusual because he had long white hair, which he didn't know was acceptable, and a beaded necklace, again something he didn't know was acceptable.

The white haired teen observed him for a short while before asking, "Aren't you in my Honor's Bio class?"

"I'm not sure, maybe we sit on opposite sides of the classroom."

"Sanada-san's class, first period?"

"Then we have bio together."

"I'm Inu-Yasha."

"Miroku."

The two shook hands and smiled at each other. "Do you happen to know a way out of here?"

"Well, as a matter of fact I do. I had to run away from the girls quite a lot and made little escape plans. I still have them, so I'll lend them to you sometime."

"That would be wonderful."

"Well, first off we need to get out of here and judging by the commotion outside, the girls haven't left yet."

Inu-Yasha grinned slightly as he walked into a stall. He pointed upwards and Miroku followed his finger and saw the vent opening right above them. Inu-Yasha nodded and pushed the vent open, jumping off the toilet seat and into the vents.

"C'mon, this is the only way out of here… well besides being pummeled by a raging crowd of obsessed girls."

Miroku grinned at his new found friend's comment and followed him into the vent. He followed Inu-Yasha through the twisting maze of metal until he finally stopped. Underneath him, he could hear the girls screaming, asking him to come out of the bathroom.

Inu-Yasha winked and continued crawling.

Finally they stopped again, "Where are we?"

"We're above the bathroom in the cafeteria."

Inu-Yasha found another opening to the vent and pulled it open.

When both of them finally got out of the vent, they walked out into the cafeteria, ignoring the weird looks some of the other boys were giving them.

"Feh, stupid girls."

"There's Sango! I can't believe she left me at the mercy, or lack of, of the obsessed women!"

Inu-Yasha laughed at Miroku's misfortune. "I know Taijiya-san. She's in the kendo team."

"I already know. We were going to the gym so she could practice."

The two made way to the table where Sango and Kagome were currently sitting.

"Nice to see you could join us, Houshi-_sama_."

"Nice to see you saved us seats," Miroku retorted smiling slightly. "And who may your lovely friend be?"

"This is Kagome-chan," tilting her head towards the young girl who was currently staring at Inu-Yasha.

The couple in question were oblivious to the conversation. Instead Kagome was preoccupied with staring at Inu-Yasha, whereas Inu-Yasha was trying to ignore the look Kagome was giving him. Sango swore she could hear corny romance music playing in the background.

"Feh, what's your problem?!"

"What?! I'm not doing anything!"

"You're staring at me!"

"No I'm not!"

Inu-Yasha looked at the girl for the first time and saw…

"Kikyo!"

"Inu-Yasha, would you like to join us?" Asked Miroku.

"I'm not going to eat with this witch here."

"Hey, I resent that! What did I ever do to you?!"

Inu-Yasha gave Kagome an incredulous look, clearly saying that she was insane.

"You stupid wench. Don't play innocent, you betrayed me."

"I didn't do anything to you, I don't even _know_ you!"

"Kikyo…"

"I'm not Kikyo!"

"C'mon, how many people would look exactly alike? Don't tell me you're her twin sister."

"I'm Kikyo's _sister_! Many people say we look alike, and judging from this conversation we really do."

"I'm not buying it."

"Okay," Kagome started as she took a deep breath to cool down. She stood up and pointed at a girl on the other side of the cafeteria. "_That_ is Kikyo."

Inu-Yasha followed her finger and saw that it indeed was.

"Oh…"

"Now, aren't you going to apologize?"

"No."

"What?!"

"Kagome-chan, let's just drop it and eat."

Kagome looked down at her friend and decided to take her advice. She sat down with a loud 'huff' and started eating.

The foursome sat down and ate, occasionally starting up a conversation. Through the whole exchange, however, Miroku's eyes never left Sango, who was unaware of the attention she was receiving.

She seemed so much more at ease during lunch. Her eyes weren't as guarded as they were before and her voice wasn't emotionless as it had been earlier.

Something was different about Sango. Something that exempted her from the other girls at the school. It wasn't the fact that she was seemingly perfect, it was something more complex.

Miroku contemplated whether or not he should ask her about it, but decided against it because he hasn't known her long and would seem nosy to but into her life.

**TBC**

**I hope you guys like this chapter and I'm sorry about the long update. I just came back from San Antonio and didn't have time to think about my fics till now. I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. **

**Review please!**


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